Flood Carnage: Experts Say Millions Require in Humanitarian Assistance

News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Millions of people –hit by the worst floods in Pakistan’s history of six decades‒ need huge humanitarian aid in terms of food and non-food items, and cash for quick response, rescue and recovery; said, Pakistani analysts.

The country also needs trained humanitarian workers with global expertise to bring people out of trauma and flood waters, and help them rebuild and rehabilitate, the analysts said in a dialogue organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) – an Islamabad-based think-tank.

The experts with humanitarian backgrounds highlighted a number of policy options for adequate response, recovery and rehabilitation plans to tackle this disaster.

Speaking on the occasion, SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri stressed that political differences should be set aside in order to create a larger response and recovery strategy supported by adequate resources. He said that the damages would lead to loss of livelihood and food insecurity.

He said BISP is a great cash disbursement programme as a social safety net. Those who have not registered, they could be taken on board and cash transfer ought to begin right away.

Pakistan Humanitarian Forum Country Coordinator Syed Shahid Kazmi stated that relief workers need to prioritize providing cooked food, nutritious dry food items, drinking water, medical camps, fodder and other veterinary services for livestock, de-watering, mosquito nets and shelters with temporary toilets. In such situations, it is necessary to offer women and children safe zones to shield them from violence.

A leading expert on Disaster Management Syed Waqar Shirazi gave a situation overview on the impacts of floods, calling for a real-time assessment of the losses and damages as well as impacts on the people and infrastructure.

He said that power and telephone signals were cut in the flood-hit areas which hampered rescue work. The floods damaged standing crops such as rice, sugarcane and cotton; and seeds for future crops were also washed away.

Humanitarian Policy Specialist and SDPI Research Fellow/ Director Resilient Development Programme Dr Shafqat Munir Ahmad said that we need to update national, provincial, and district levels development plans by making them risk-sensitive. We need to align disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies with the commitments under Sendai Framework on DRR.